Haren’s Gone — And So Is the Lead

Just like that, Dan Haren’s magical stuff deserted him. In a stadium growing increasingly frigid, fans bundled up against the chill, Haren didn’t survive the sixth inning as the Tigers tied the game.

It’s remarkable how quickly things can change. It was obvious from the end of the fifth that Haren was beginning to lose it — even the Tigers’ final out, a liner to second by Placido Polanco, was hit hard — and Magglio Ordonez opened the sixth with a sizzling, hooking home run down the left-field line, barely clearing the fence and leaving the park in a very big hurry.

When Carlos Guillen followed with a sharp single to right, manager Ken Macha had seen enough. He went to lefty Joe Kennedy, who did well to keep the game tied. With runners at first and third and two out, Kennedy buckled down on a 3-and-2 count and got Ramon Santiago on a fly ball to left.

It was fine work by Kennedy, but that fickle aura of victory has shifted back to the Detroit side. We’ll see if Jeremy Bonderman, unlike Haren, can stay in the game as the weather conditions grow more difficult.